Chinese Muslim Interpreters in
Global Trade
Speaker: XIANG Biao (Visiting Professor, HKIHSS, The University of Hong Kong, and Professor of Social Anthropology, Institute of Social & Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford)
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm, 26 Feb
2016 (Friday)
Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Mong
Man Wai Building, CUHK
Prof.
Biao Xiang, a Visiting Professor at the HKIHSS, The University of Hong Kong,
and a Professor of Social Anthropology at the Institute of Social &
Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford, gave a seminar on “Chinese Muslim
Interpreters in Global Trade” on 26 Feb. In the seminar, Prof. Xiang talked
about the background of Chinese Muslim interpreters, the challenges they faced,
and their sense of hope and identity.
 |
| Prof. Xiang |
The
Chinese Muslim who assisted foreign traders as Arabic-Chinese translators were
mostly from North West China, particularly Ningxia Hui. They were generally
coming from the countryside or small cities, with an education level of junior
high school. Many of them failed or underperformed in schools, or dropped out without
certificates. Perceiving outmigration as the best prospect, they became
interpreters by learning Arabic from the masjid or madrasas affiliated with
Mosques, privately-run Arabic language schools, or state-run madrasas.
Approximately,
60% of these interpreters were male with an average age of 35, while 40% were
female with an average age of 25. Male were usually employees of foreign
trading companies or owners of companies hiring interpreters; whereas female
worked in Chinese trading companies. These interpreters concentrated at places
like Yiwu, Guangzhou, and Shishi (Fujian). Trading hubs were set up based on
dispersed production capacity, with sophisticated and flexible service system available.
Apart from translation, interpreters visited factories and markets, finalized
orders, and followed up with delivery, shipping and quality control.
The
movement of these interpreters from remote poor places to the prosperous parts
of China, as Xiang described, was a shift from one type of precarity to
another. The volatile trade brought no formal contracts or stability, and the
interpreters, especially the self-employed ones, found it increasingly
difficult to settle. The interpreters were stressed by debts, risks, and the
need to establish and sustain stable relations with foreign traders. Political
instability in the Middle East and the rising price of Chinese goods also
rendered them to an unfavorable state.
On
the other hand, the situation they faced also led to some kinds of
transformation. For instance, they had stronger association with their Muslim
identity, and they had a greater emphasis on self-discipline and
self-improvement. They also regarded their trade as a kind of social work which
repaid the society. To overcome the precarity in their trade, they tried to
develop community-based security and adopt stability focused approach.
 |
| The audience |
Prof.
Xiang’s seminar not only gave the audience insights into
the role and work of Chinese Muslim interpreters, but also brought our
attention to the interplay of ethnicity, religion and business.
